Projectile.



Patented Fab. 6, I900. G. H. NEWELL.

PROJEGTIL E. (A liction med um. 16, 1899.)

..\U ma T m m m K Y 0 (U Q WITNESSES:

ll'Nirnn STATES GEORGE H. NEWELL, OF GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN.

PROJECTILE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 642,708, dated February 6, 1900.

Application filed March 16 1899. Serial No. 709,244. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE H. NEWELL, a citizen of the United States, residingat Grand Rapids, in the county of Kent and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Projectiles; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of theinvention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in projectiles, and more particularly to that class of projectiles having the body made of soft metal and provided with a patch of porous material or a winding of wire or cord, or both, such patch and winding combined and having the ends of said patch or winding embedded in the metal of the body to secure the same in place. Such projectiles are defective in that the forward end of the soft-metal body is exposed and upon impact with any hard substance changes form and reduces the penetrative power of the projectile. Itis also found difficult to adequately secure the forward end of the patch or winding, so that it will not become displaced or detached outright. The object of my invention is to overcome these defects and to provide the device with certain new and useful features hereinafter more fully described, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

My invention consists, essentially, in providing a projectile having a soft-metal body and a winding or patch, or both, surrounding the cylindrical part thereof, with a cap of hard and strong metal covering the rounded forward end of the projectile and reduced forward portion of the cylindrical body, together with the forward end of the patch or winding, or both, as the case may be, whereby the forward end of the projectile is efiectually held in shape and the forward part of the patch and winding effectually secured in place, and sufficient of the patch and winding necessary to properly engage the bore of the gun is left exposed, as will more fully appear by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure l is a side elevation of a projectile embodying my invention; Fig. 2, a longitudinal section of the same through the axis of Fig. 1; and Fig. 3, a transverse section of a gun-barrel, all of the figures being on an enlarged scale to better show the construction.

Like letters refer to like parts in all of the figures.

The projectile is provided with a cylindrical rear portion A, extending somewhat more than one-half of its entire length and adapted to fill the bore of the gun closely.

B is a slightly tapered portion to more readily enter the bore of the gun, O a reduced cylindrical portion of such diameter as to accurately fit the inner bore and run freely in contact with the lands of the barrel, and D is the rounded or pointed forward end of the projectile.

The portion A is preferably covered with a patch of porous material E, securely retained by a winding F of wire or cord, preferably soft steel or copper wire; but this covering is not limited to any special construction. Any of the known jackets, windings, or patches may be used in this connection. Thus the patch may be omitted and a windingof either wire or cord may be used with quite satisfactory result; but'I prefer the use of both the patch and winding, as shown. This covering extends forward over the tapered portion 13 and reduced cylindrical portion 0, which latter, if preferred, may be also slightly tapered to more readily enter the hard-metal cap G; but I prefer that said cap shall be cylindrical on the outside in that part covering the por tion 0 to accurately fit the inner bore or surface of the lands H and run freely thereon. The parts 0 and D and that portion of the patchE and winding F covering the part 0 are covered by a closely-fitting cap G, preferably of steel, which may be much heavier and more rigid than the usual steel jacket, as it is not intended to be changed in form in passing through the gun and does not engage the grooves I of the barrel, but runs freely on the lands H of the same. This cap serves to hold the front end of the projectile in shape where the heaviest strain comes when it contacts the target, and also to effectually cover and secure the forward end of the patch and winding where they are most likely to be torn loose in passing through the gun-barrel or penetrating the target. The patch and wind ing surrounding the part A serve to fill the barrel and prevent escape of the gases and effectually lubricate and clean the same, and at the same time are sufficiently strong to properly engage the grooves and impart rotary motion to the projectile and retain the same in shape to follow the harder and more substantial cap G as it penetrates the target driven by the inertia of the mass of soft metal in the body of the projectile.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a projectile, a cylindrical body of soft metal having a reduced forward portion, a covering adapted to yield and fill the grooves of the gun-barrel, and an unyielding cap of hard metal covering said reduced forward end and adapted to engage and run freely on the inner bore orlands of the gun-barrel, substantially as described.

2. A projectile of soft metal having a cylindrical rear portion, a reduced, and rounded front portion, a yielding covering surrounding the rear portion and the reduced portion, and an unyielding cap covering the rounded front portion, the reduced portion, and the forward portion of the yielding covering, substantially as described.

3. In a projectile, the combination ofa softmetal body having a reduced forward end, a yielding patch of porous material surrounding said body, and an unyielding cap covering said reduced forward end and the forward end of the patch and adapted to engage and run freely on the inner bore or lands of the gun-barrel,substantially as described.

4. In a projectile, the combination of asoftmetal body having areduced forward end, a yielding winding of wire or cord surrounding the said body, an unyielding cap covering the said reduced forward end of the projectile and the forward end of the winding and adapted to engage and run freely on the inner bore or lands of the gun-barrel, substantially as described.

5. In a projectile,the combination of a softmetal body having a reduced and rounded forward end, a patch of porous material surrounding said body and the reduced portion thereof, a wire wound outside the patch, and a cap covering the forward rounded and reduced end thereof and extending over the forward end of the patch and winding, substantially as described.

6. In a projectile, the combination of a softmet-al body having a cylindrical rear portion, a tapered portion, a reduced cylindrical portion, and a rounded forward end, a patch of porous material surrounding the rear cylindrical portion, the tapered portion, and the reduced portion, a wire or cord wound spirally around the patch, and a cap of hard and unyielding material covering the rounded front end and the reduced cylindrical portion of the body, and the forward end of the patch and wire or cord, and securing the same in place, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE I-I. NEIVELL. Witnesses:

4 LUTHER V. MoULToN, Lnwrs E. FLANDERS. 

